The Sangomas

To whittle them down using drones

To terrorize to impound their bones

To ungracefully uncover them

To make them outcast, to break them

To oblivion banishing them

To the periphery pushing them.

Despite attempts to vilify them,

they remain loyal protectors

of sacred traditions and rituals.

They obey without wavering

the high calling of the ancestors,

unmindful of personal deprivation

They are the unshakable Sangomas

The ones to beat the drum of ingoma

To be convocated ithwasa

To follow the drumbeat of ikusasa

To ignite a people's heartbeat

To feel and massage the pulse

To loyally protect the sacred grounds

To cherish something for descendants

To acknowledge our greatest debt

to the fidelity of the Sangomas

the chosen ones to re-establish tradition

They defend the ancestors without fears

to perpetuate tradition despite jeers

Contextual Commentary

The racist and sexist apartheid was a political and economic
system of control. Apartheid was also a system of acculturation.
Apartheid inculcated a sense of disdain towards African traditions
and engendered a sense of afrophobia. Nonetheless the Sangomas have continued to consistently teach and preserve African traditions.

The economic strangulation of African peoples meant that
sometimes the Sangomas were stripped to bare essentials as a result
of banishments and harassments by the state, and vilification by the
Christian churches and Western schools. Waging state terrorism
against African peoples ensured apartheid's grip on the people.

The author finds it incredible that the Sangomas, despite deprivation
and extreme suffering, consistently defended and preserved African
culture. Sangomas seemed to command powers of transcendence
whereby they appeared unperturbed by situational extremes.
Somehow their level of intellectual maturity enabled them to focus
on their mission at hand without being derailed by adversity.
Today, South Africa enjoys a vibrant culture. A greatest debt
is due and rightfully payable to the Sangomas and their
descendants. All this would not be possible if it were not for the
great Nyangas and their schools of indigenous medicine.

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